Author: K. A. Cobell

Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books/Heartdrum

ISBN: 9780063318670

Mara Racette knew she wouldn’t make friends right away when her family moved to the reservation in Browning, Montana, but she also didn’t think her classmates would go out of their way to ostracize her. Yet in the last few months, that’s exactly what’s happened. They’ve called her out for being only half Blackfeet and not being a part of their community since the beginning. It’s bad enough that Mara’s family had to move from Bozeman because of an incident involving her. Now no one wants to be her friend in her new town either.

What’s worse, everyone on the reservation is on edge after teenager Ray Anne Leroux went missing. It’s been three months, and the police have been dragging their feet on the investigation. Mara feels terrible about what the Leroux family is going through, particularly Ray Anne’s little sister, Loren. No one has any answers, and it’s just added to the tension Mara is already experiencing at school.

On the night of a traditional Blackfeet giveaway, Loren chooses to include Mara in a ceremony to honor Ray Anne. The giveaway is supposed to be a special evening, but the event turns into a nightmare when one of Mara’s classmates, Samantha White Tail, is found murdered. All of a sudden, the police are very interested in what’s happening on the reservation. Even with a Blackfeet officer, Jeremy Youngbull, on the force, Mara senses the unease among the members of the community. 

Youngbull and his associates turn their attention on the last people to see Samantha. That means Mara and Loren along with their peers, Brody and Eli First Kill, are on the shortlist of persons of interest. The police start asking uncomfortable questions, and Mara watches as Loren and the others—kids who have grown up together—start becoming suspicious, questioning lifelong friendships and their connections.

Distrust sets in among the resident teens, and Mara gets caught up in the swirl of doubt that creates a tornado of emotions. Loren becomes determined to find out what happened to her sister and why Samantha died. Brody wants to protect his older brother from any police involvement at any cost. Eli’s commitment to his younger sister means he’s keeping secrets from everyone. With the police hounding them all, Mara keeps hoping the police will focus on doing their job—catching Samantha’s murderer—so life can start resembling something like normal.

Author K. A. Cobell brings her personal experience as a member of the Blackfeet nation to her debut novel. The setting and the cultural aspects of the book ring with authenticity. The reservation feels lived in and like a real place that readers could visit with the turn of a page.

The book’s weakness comes in its characters. Cobell gives her readers five point-of-view characters to follow, and beyond the first few pages all of the characters sound the same. Chapters have the characters’ names as titles, but even with that distinction and a timestamp at the start of each one readers will find the story progressing as if a single character were telling it.

The characters spend an inordinate amount of time describing their feelings, which slows down the pace of the book dramatically. It isn’t until about two-thirds of the way through, when more information about Samantha’s murder comes to light, that the pacing picks up. Some readers may not feel compelled to stay with the book by then, which is a shame because Cobell is using the book to draw attention to an important issue: the high rate of murder and disappearances of Indigenous women.

For a first novel, however, Cobell writes with a reassurance and skill that promises more gripping books to come. Those who would like a primer in the culture of the Blackfeet nation might want to check this out. I recommend readers Borrow Looking for Smoke by K. A. Cobell.